In the Valley of Elah
2007 · Movie · R · 124 min · ★ 6.8 · 69% critics
After their son vanishes soon after returning from military service in Iraq, a disciplined father and his wife push for answers. Teaming up with a local detective, they follow uneasy leads through the base and surrounding town, uncovering a case that becomes as much about grief and consequences as it is about finding the truth.
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Details
- Years
- 2007
- Release date
- 2007-09-14
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Critic score
- 69/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (1,089 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a serious, character-focused mystery that mixes investigation with the emotional fallout of war, in the vein of The Pledge; Not for you if you need fast pacing or a purely puzzle-driven crime story.
Pros: strong lead performances; thoughtful antiwar themes; slow-burn mystery | Cons: uneven pacing; scattered subplots; underwhelming payoff
Themes
- police
- parent child relationship
- war crimes
- homicide
- detective
- patriotism
- investigation
- iraq
- military service
- cover-up
- disappearance
- murder investigation
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 2008 · nominated
Cast & crew
Tommy Lee Jones
as Hank Deerfield
Charlize Theron
as Detective Emily Sanders
Susan Sarandon
as Joan Deerfield
Frances Fisher
as Evie
James Franco
as Sergeant Carnelli
Jonathan Tucker
as Mike Deerfield
Jason Patric
as Lieutenant Kirklander
Josh Brolin
as Chief Buchwald
Wes Chatham
as Corporal Penning
Jake McLaughlin
as Specialist Gordon Bonner
Directed by Paul Haggis